Cooking through the countries of the world . . . one SOOP at a time

All posts filed under “AFRICA”

TANZANIA: Curried Banana + Fish Soup (Ndizina Samaki)

We are BAAAAAACK! Thank you for your patience as we took a month off to explore South America, get and recover from the flu, and take a week long business trip (a few of those things simultaneously). I’ll be getting Peru and Swaziland online asap and we have Cyprus cued up for this weekend.

If you haven’t done so already, please follow me on Facebook where I post news, photos, sneak peaks, new friends, updates, and other soupy things.

Okay, without further ado, here’s what we learned about Tanzania :

Since one of our life goals as a family is to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, we will be visiting Tanzania some day.

As independent countries, Tanzania (and one of its provinces Zanzibar) are both just slightly older than my husband.

Tanzania has 2 different capital cities. Dar Es Salaam is the former capital, but still maintains its place as the capital in the hearts of Tanzanians; Dodoma is the new administrative capital.

Here’s a fun website with lots of food info if you’re keen on cooking more Tanzanian fare

While “Hakuna Matata” is well known to us westerners, the phrase is uncommon among native speakers of Swahili in Tanzania, who prefer the phrase “hamna shida” in the north and “hamna tabu” in the south.

I found this music video out of Tanzania to be a really interesting study of the different classes in the country. Cheesy/romantic, yes… but it’s fascinating to see how the street scenes and lifestyles are depicted.

Finally, Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania, has a thriving street food scene which Anthony Bourdain was kind enough to test out for me until I’m able to get there myself.

THE MEAL:

Although it was quite a different flavor profile than we are used to, this was a winner. It was pretty spicy, which I loved, but I might decrease the spice next time to make it more friendly to sensitive palates. I’d also love to try this with shrimp next time.

Hooray! My parents were here for a visit and joined us in Tanzania. Thumbs up from them! Papi said beer was the perfect thing to wash it down with!

Curried Banana + Fish Soup (Ndizina Samaki)
Serves 6

Ingredients

2lb flaky white fish (I used tilapia)

2 teaspoons fresh black pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 tablespoons peanut oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons curry powder

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)

8 cups chicken stock

1 15oz can chopped tomatoes

1 cup unsweetened dried coconut

2 ripe bananas, sliced into 1/2 inch chunks

Cooked white rice and cilantro, optional

Instructions

Season tilapia with fresh black pepper and salt.

In a large soup pot, heat oil and saute onions until translucent and tender.

Add the fish, stock, tomatoes and coconut, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes – stirring occasionally to break up fish into large chunks.

Add banana and simmer 10 additional minutes.

When ready to serve, ladle into bowls over white rice and garnish with cilantro for a bit of color if desired.

Cook’s Notes

This is relatively spicy as prepared with the full 1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes. The boys both said they would have liked it if it hadn’t be so spicy. If you’re making this for kids, you could just omit the red pepper and allow people to add it to their bowls if they want a bit of a kick.

Republic of Congo is also called Congo Republic and Congo Brazzaville.

Brazzaville is the capital of Republic of Congo and sits directly across the Congo River from Kinshasa, the capital of Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire).

This video is good for a sampling of what life is like in Brazzaville. You can even hear the singers talking about Fufu at one point!

Muamba Nsusu and Fufu (Chicken and Peanut soup + Yams)

I’ll admit it. Beckett chose this recipe because he thought Muamba Nsusu was fun to say. Well, first he actually picked fufu and ran around the house for several minutes shouting FUFUFUFUFUFFUFUFUFUFUFUFUUUUUUU before I could settle him down to pick what ELSE we should make seeing as how fufu is actually a starchy side sort of akin to our mashed potatoes. He was set on having something as fun to say as FUFUFUFUFUFFUFUFUFUFUFUFUUUUUUU and therefore picked NSUSUNSUSUNSUSUNSUSUNSUSUNSUSUUUUUUU!

As luck would have it, it Nsusu a good pick. I described it to our friends’ boys who weren’t so sure about the stew as “peanut butter soup”. That pretty much nailed it. Very common all over Sub-Saharan Africa, peanuts (called groundnuts in Africa) are used very commonly in various stews combining chicken and tomatoes. This version uses red palm oil, another staple of Sub-Saharan Africa, which some argue is the best type of fat (better than olive oil, coconut oil, and avocados) you can ingest due to its high level of Vitamins A and E.

While the soup Nsusu was a culinary success in our meal, the fufu was, well, let’s call it an acquired taste. Fufu is Sub-Saharan Africa’s answer to our mashed potatoes. It is made many different ways using many different starches, but in Western Africa it is usually made from yams, sometimes combined with plantains. We chose to get half traditional and make it with yams and one plantain, but used the food processor instead of the more traditional way to make fufu (as seen in the video below). I’m not including a recipe for fufu in this post simply because there seem to be a gigazillion different ways to make it, so I’m going to encourage you to get out there and blaze your own fufu path should you feel like running around the house yelling FUFUFUFUFUFFUFUFUFUFUFUFUUUUUUU!!!!

Ahem. Now then. Traditionally, our fun to say stew would be eaten with your hands – more specifically your right hand. Eaters would take a bit of fufu and some stew and quickly slurp it all up by sticking fingers directly into mouths. Had we gone this route, I’m sure the boys would have been thrilled, but we opted for spoons this time.

Would we make it again? Sorry Congo, but the fufu was not a hit. The soup on the other, hand, while much too heavy for me was a hit with the kids… even Dracula.

Generously salt and pepper chicken thighs. In large heavy soup pot, add 1 tablespoon red palm oil, then cook chicken thighs over medium heat until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear. This should take 8 to 12 minutes. As the chicken cooks, turn it occasionally so it browns evenly. Once chicken has cooked and browned, remove it from pot and set aside to cool.

Add palm oil to pot and melt over medium-low heat. Sauteé onions, carrots and chilies (scraping up any browned bits from the chicken) until well caramelized.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine peanut butter, tomato paste and cumin with 1 cup of the chicken broth and stir to combine well.

Add peanut/tomato mixture to the pot along with the tomatoes, lemon zest, cooking for a few moments until fragrant.

Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Shred or chop chicken thighs and return to the soup. Add peanuts. Simmer until soup has thickened.

SOMALIA: Oat + Goat Soup (Shurbad)

Somalia has a huge nomadic population and they eat primarily goat and camel meat.

The northern part of Somalia declares itself independent as Somaliland, but is unrecognized by most of the rest of the world. That part of Somalia was ruled by Britain until 1960.

The southern part of Somalia was ruled until 1960 by Italy. Therefore, pasta is incredibly popular in Somalia – some even suggest that pasta is the national dish of Somalia!

Somalia is 99% Muslim – the vast majority being Sunni.

Ramadan is observed throughout Somalia whereby fasting is observed during daylight hours for close to a month. Upon breaking the fast, many Somali families eat a very filling and hearty soup of goat and oats.

Doing a Google search of images of “Somalia kids” is not advised unless you (a) have tissues at hand, (b) are prepared to answer a lot of questions from your kids about starvation, and (c) can stomach it.

The recipe we chose would traditionally be eaten with hands by using a pancake like bread to grab little handfuls. I couldn’t find (and honestly, didn’t have the gumption to try) a gluten free version of this bread, so we went with rice instead. If you can eat gluten, here’s a great looking recipe!

THE MEAL:

So, it turns out that finding a Somali soup that can be verified to be a true and traditional soup of Somalia was quite a challenge. There are many wonderful Somali cooking blogs out there, but I couldn’t find a “official” source of Somali recipes to cross check any of the recipes I found online. Which led me into an interesting line of thinking about how the internet works and what people find online tends to be taken as gospel truth simply because it was found online. And I then realized that once I post this recipe out there on the interwebs, I will, in fact, be just as much an authority on Somali soups as anyone else who has ever put a recipe for Somali soup online. Wacky.

Anyway, I finally settled on two recipes I could vouch for the authenticity of and gave Calvin a choice between lamb shoulder stew and goat + oat stew. I was surprised when he chose the goat + oat, worried about how it would come out, and nervous about our friends coming over to join us with their two little boys. I should not have worried:

The enthusiastic response was immediate and all 4 boys went in for 2nds and one went for 3rds. Plus, my two boys had leftovers in their lunch boxes yesterday and both ate every bite while bragging to their friends (and intentionally grossing out the girls) about eating goat stew. Which reminds me… you don’t have to use goat. It is the traditional meat for this dish, but you could also use lamb or beef if you desire. If you’re really not into goat, don’t let the goat stand in the way of making this incredible soup – go ahead and use a different meat. I won’t tell anyone.

This soup is simultaneously simple and complex; hearty, but not rich. It is easy to make (once you’ve made the spice mix) and quick enough for a school night dinner. We served it with Somali rice, spice encrusted goat, and a DELICIOUS coconut hot sauce. For a quick an easy dinner, I might make a simple salad of cucumber and tomato to eat with this soup and call it a night. We will be making this one again for sure.

Oat + Goat Soup (Shurbad) Serves 4-10 depending on whether served as an appetizer or main

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 pound ground goat meat (you can use lamb instead if you desire or beef if you don’t like goat or lamb)

Heat oil in large soup pot. Add goat meat and brown. Add onion and cook until the onions are translucent. Add garlic, tomatoes, and xwaash bariis- stir for 2 minutes.

Add water, boullion, and oats. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently.

Using an immersion blender or a regular blender blend soup until smooth.

Add lemon juice and check for seasoning adding more xawaash bariis or salt as needed. I mixed a little olive oil and xawaash bariis to make a sauce I could drizzle on top for a little color.

Cook’s Notes
All adults and 2 of the kids at the table though the coconut hot sauce (recipe below) brought this recipe to the next level. Feel free to use a different meat if you desire. I won’t tell anyone.

Somali Spice Mix (Xawaash Bariis) Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

1/4 cup cumin seeds

1/4 cup coriander seeds

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 small cinnamon stick

24 cardamom pods

1/2 teaspoon whole cloves

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon turmeric powder

Instructions

Add all ingredients except last three to small frying pan and heat, stirring constantly, for 4-5 minutes until very fragrant. Cumin seeds will burn quickly if not attended to.

Place all ingredients in a spice grinder (I use a coffee grinder) and grind into a fine powder.

Pour into a glass jar and add ginger powder, nutmeg and turmeric powder. Place lid on jar and shake until all spices are well incorporated.

Somali Coconut Hot Sauce (Basbaas Qumbe)Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients

1/3 cup dried coconut, unsweetened preferrably

3 large jalapeños, stemmed (seeded too if less spicy is desired)

2 large cloves garlic

1 small onion

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon salt

Instructions

Soak coconut 15 minutes in boiling water to remove any sweetener and soften coconut; changing water at least once. Drain well.

Add all ingredients to blender and blend well.

Xawaash Encrusted Goat Meat(Hilib Ari Duban)Serves 6-8

Ingredients

Goat shoulder or leg (approximately 3 pounds)

3 tablespoons xawaash spice

3 tablespoons canola oil

4 large cloves garlic

2 tablespoons salt

Instructions

Preheat grill or oven to 300 degrees (we used a Traeger smoker grill).

Mix oil, xawaash, garlic and salt in small bowl. Spread mixture all over goat, making sure to get spices into every crevice.

Wrap goat tightly in aluminum foil at least 4 times – making sure every seam is well closed. (If steam escapes, meat will not cook properly.)

Allow goat to rest and marinate at least one hour. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight for best flavor.

Put on grill (with door closed), traeger, or in oven for 3-4 hours. Because all the moisture stays inside the foil, it is nearly impossible to over-do it.

Remove from heat and allow to rest for 20 minutes before opening foil.

Pick meat off bones and serve.

Sorry there is no before photo… the problem was it smelled so insanely good when it came off the grill that all 4 adults dove in before I remembered that we needed a photo. Oh well – we’ll just have to make it again.

Somali Spiced Rice (Bariis Iskukaris)Serves 8 as a side

Ingredients

2 cups basmati rice

4 tablespoons ghee (or olive oil)

1 large onion, chopped

1 tablespoon xawaash spice

3 large cloves garlic

1/2 cup peas, more to taste

1/2 cup chopped carrots, more to taste

2 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons salt

Instructions

Rinse rice thoroughly until water runs clear.

In large pot that has a properly fitting lid, melt ghee over medium heat and fry the onions until they begin to caramelize.

COMOROS: Le Me Tsolola: Goat + Plantain Stew

Here’s what we learned about Comoros in our research this week:

Comoros exists.

It is pronounced KOHM-uh-rohs

It is a group of 3 (or 4 depending on who you ask) main islands in the channel between Mozambique and Madagascar. The 4th island is Mayotte which voted to stay a part of France in 1975, but many Comorans still claim it as one of theirs.

It gained its independence from France in in 1975 and has had over 20 coups since then.

It is one of the poorest countries in the world where the average daily wage is just over $1.

Each island has it’s own cuisine.

There is very, very little to be found online about the food of Comoros, but what can be found suggests African, Arab, Indian, and French influences.

It is proper to say “bismillah” (thanks to Allah) before eating.

Though there is no legal drinking age in Comoros, alcohol is not considered proper according to Islam (the dominating religion), but it is served in most European restaurants. (Note: If I ever go to Comoros, you’ll know where to find me.)

Here’s a fun video showing Comoros from a tourist’s perspective. Check out that rain!

THE MEAL:

When we drew Comoros from the cup, I asked my Facebook community for a suggestion and my friend Joanne, a native South African now living in Australia, recommended Sweet Pea as a traditional Comoran soup (I hope I have represented it well Joanne!), but my research (what little of it there is to see) kept mentioning a stew called Le Me Tsolola (or Leme Tsolola). As I’ve mentioned, James thinks of soup as an appetizer instead of a meal, so for Comoros, that’s exactly what he got… a soup appetizer and a stew meal. SOOP-o-rama.

Our friends braved the bridge to join us, but not before I sent them on a wild goose chase for jackfruit on Clement street in San Francisco. I had read that jackfruit was commonly eaten in Comoros and thought it would be fun for the kids to experience eating something that looks so, well, terrifying for dessert. I had hunted all over the east bay – Oakland Chinatown, Koreana Plaza, Berkeley Bowl, 99 Ranch – without luck, so I sent our friends to scour San Francisco. When their search left them empty-handed, we learned that jackfruit goes out of season in September. Oh well. To the right is what it would have looked like had we found it fresh (keep in mind that this is the size of a large watermelon covered with spikes.

Instead, our jackfruit looked like the below:

Since it was a hot October (summer in San Francisco) night and we had TWO hot soups to eat, we cranked up the Nawal (the voice of Comoros) and hit the deck (not literally, of course). I was quite nervous for this meal because not only was it utterly unlike anything I’d ever made before, but also our friends who joined us are outstanding cooks and I didn’t want to look like a fool in front of them. I’d only found a couple of recipes on which to base my creation and I worried that it simply wouldn’t work.

I should not have worried. This was FANTASTIC! The pea soup had a nice refreshing gingery flavor and was a great foil to the coconut richness of the goat. The only change I would make (noted in the recipe) is that the goat was a bit grisly, so next time (and there WILL) be a next time, I will grind the goat in my cuisinart to make it easier for everyone to eat. Of course, this will be completely nontraditional, but it will taste very good.

Oh – do not make this without making the Poutou (chili relish) and do not fret when you make it that it is too spicy because the spice will mellow out considerably after a couple of days . It really completes the flavors of the meal – the kick and the acid in the sauce take it over the edge into pure divine. I can also happily report that the relish is fantastic on eggs, tossed in with quinoa and arugula as a fun side dish, and over pan-fried fish. Say hello to your new little friend Poutou.

This was rich, flavorful, zesty, complex and just overall delightful. I wasn’t sure about the cayenne pepper for the kids, but they all at it like crazy. There may have even been some bowl licking….

…. which was a good thing because just as the sun went down, the lights went out and we cleaned up the kitchen in candle light. The plates that were licked were a lot easier to clean.

I forgot to take any photos of the Coconut Punch (probably because of the Coconut Punch), so I can’t show you how pretty it was, but imagine a nice glass of eggnog that with a bright yellow rim and a stick of vanilla in it. At first sip, our friends shouted out “Tropical Eggnog!”, I may make this at Christmas this year instead of traditional eggnog. It is quite thick and very sweet, so it was maybe not the best drink for a hot night, but regardless, nary a drop was left by the end or our 90 degree day. 8 thumbs up.

Sweet Pea SoupServes 8 as a small appetizer

Ingredients

4 tbsp olive oil

1 small yellow onion, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound frozen peas (thawed)

1/2 pound tomatoes chopped

3 teaspoons ginger, finely minced

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons salt

1 can light coconut milk, 3 tablespoons reserved for garnish

4 cups water

thinly sliced lime wheels for serving

Instructions

Remove peas from the freezer and place on a plate on the counter to thaw while you do your chopping.

Meanwhile, over medium-low heat, heat olive oil in a large pot a 4 quart saucepan and add the onion and garlic. Gently cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until onions have softened.

Add the rest of the ingredients (except the coconut milk) and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.

Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender), blend soup until smooth.

Add the coconut milk,raise to a simmer just to warm coconut milk. Do not allow it to boil.

Calvin – today’s sous sous chef.

Serve by drizzling reserved coconut milk over the top in a spiral pattern and adding a lime wheel. (Or you can use a small medicine syringe to make intricate patterns and decorate with basil leaves and flowers torn from the garden.)

Le Me Tsolola: Goat & Banana StewServes 4

Ingredients

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 1/2 lb goat stew meat, cut into 1″ pieces (next time I would grind it in a food processor as it was fairly grisly)

Salt

Cayenne pepper

2 onions, finely chopped

4 tomatoes, chopped

2 medium green plantains, peeled cut into 1″ pieces

1 can coconut milk + 1 can full of water

salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

1 lime, cut into wedges for serving

Instructions

Season goat with salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Heat pan to medium high and fry the goat in a little oil until well browned on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the plantains, onions and tomatoes to pan and stir until softened.

Return meat to pot. Pour-in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer.

Cover and allow to simmer for an hour (add a little water or more coconut milk if it becomes too dry).

Season to taste with additional salt or cayenne pepper.

Serve immediately on a bed of white rice with pepper sauce (recipe below) and lime wedges on the side.

1 small fresh red chili (habañero is traditional – I used a red jalapeño), roughly chopped

3 medium tomatoes, quartered

1 organic* lemon, quartered

1 medium yellow onion, quartered

2 large cloves garlic, peeled, halved

2 tablespoons salt

Instructions

Place all ingredients (including the peel and pith of the lemon) in a blender or food processor and blend until ingredients form a chunky salsa.

Refrigerate at least 24 hours to allow flavors to blend. Fear not, the spice will mellow out considerably after a few days.

*An organic lemon is important becaue you will put the peel into the relish. Standard lemons are often coated with wax and pesticides.

Comoran Coconut Punch (Punch Coco)…. Tropical EggnogServes 4 (Again, alcohol is not allowed according the the laws of Islam, so this would most likely be served sans alcohol in Comoros. Feel free to use the rum or not according to your own desires. Also – apologies… I completely forgot to take any photos of this, but it was very pretty and very delicious)

Ingredients

2 cans light coconut milk

1 small can (5.8 oz) condensed milk

juice and grated zest of 2 large limes, rinds saved

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

3 tablespoons honey

1 pod vanilla, seeds scraped out and reserved, then split lengthwise into four long sticks

1 package Trader Joes dried jackfruit, ground to a powder in a spice grinder or food processor, divided (2 Tablespoons goes in the punch, the rest goes on the rim)

4 ounces dark rum, optional

Instructions

Place all ingredients (including the vanilla seeds, but excluding the vanilla sticks) except the rum in a blender. Blend well until smooth.

Meanwhile, run emptied lime rinds along rim of 4 glasses to wet rim and dip rim in Jackfruit powder

Pour punch into glasses. Top with a float of 1 oz rum (or more if you’d like) in each cup (if using) and garnish with vanilla sticks and a sprinkling of cinnamon